In “Fire”, Chris shares insights on fire and life, magic and alchemy, duality and unpredictability, bringing us yet another intriguing, thoughtful and refreshing presentation. Thank you, Chris!
(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.) Enjoy!
Not surprisingly, Chris’s kids have grown up using handmade pots and cups, and one day Chris asked his youngest daughter what it’s like to use handmade pieces, and she said “Dad, I really like the mistakes”.
It’s that beautiful messiness of fine craftsmanship that creates something that’s one-of-a-kind and gloriously unpredictable. As in life, where we are so much more than a series of precise measurements; we are not exact templates. As in life, each cup holds a story, transferred from the hands that make it and then again transformed by the hands that hold and share it.
Our mistakes add interest, color, and emotion ~ whether in our craft, or in our life. I call them happy accidents, because nine times out of ten they lead to a new idea or thought or road one might not have travelled, and we’re made the richer.
This is one of Chris’s most touching video’s, imperfectly perfect, where his trademark honesty shines through. Enjoy!
(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.)
Chris Staley
“I like that sense of contemplation that can happen when you’re drinking out of a cup, and (how that touch) has a way of actually slowing time down.” [Chris Staley]
In this week’s video, Chris describes the making of, and meanings behind, a cup, starting with a very to-the-point question his professor asked when he was a graduate student: When you make a cup, do you want it to be used, or to be displayed in someone’s livingroom?
And as ever, maybe in part because I was so horrible at a potter’s wheel myself back in the day, it’s a pleasure to watch him work his craft.
(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.) Enjoy!
“Meddle not in the affairs of the dragon; for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.” (author unknown)
Sleeping Dragon with Feather Wings / pencil drawing @Patricia Saxton
Bright young talent just shines in Dana Tanamachi.
I completely adore what’s she doing ~ by hand, with a practically perfect mixture of head and heart ~ and luckily for her, so do some big name clients. It’s very, very cool. And in this day and age of technology, it’s wonderfully refreshing.
Enjoy the video ~ enjoy the images!
isn’t this superb? my favorite!
You can see some great time-lapsed videos of the artist at work, here: http://tanamachistudio.com/time-lapse/
Chris Staley
After a little hiatus for the holidays, our “Tuesdays with Chris” are back ~ and oh, you’re in for a treat on this one! [And what is art to you? …]
(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.) Enjoy!
Chris Staley
Clay is magical.
There is, of course, s a sense of magic in all artistic endeavors. The “making something from nothing”, starting with the simplest base and most fundamental tools ~ whether a pencil and paper, strings on a guitar, a slab of clay ~ creating as your hands, eyes, heart, mind and spirit move you. The magic is in the spontaneity, the exploration. The details follow ~ but first comes the spark.
Here, Chris shares some of his own magic with us, and it’s a delight to see!
(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.) Enjoy!
some of Chris’s rough sketches
Can it be Tuesday again already? That sure went fast! But it means another great video from Chris. This week he’s talking about something that plays a pretty major role in my own life, so I’ve decided not to make any elaborate commentary ~ of course, if what he says has anything to do with stream of consciousness, or infinite possibilities, he’s on to something…
(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.) Enjoy!
The holidays are kicking into gear, and our shop is always open! Please feel free to share with friends interested in something special, good for mind and soul, priced under $25 and created from the heart. ♥
Chris Staley
“Teaching is a work of art.”
In this week’s video, Chris describes three types of teachers, and how a sense of ownership and involvement comes alive in a classroom when the lines of engagement become fluid ~ and his students tell us what characteristic they find most important for a teacher to bring to a learning experience. And at the end of the day, it seems the whole teaching/learning process is most effective not by how much you know, but how much you care.
All of which reminds me of a favorite quote by François Rabelais: “A child is not a vase to be filled, but a fire to be lit.”… something that, I believe, goes for all of us, at any age.
(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.) Enjoy!
